Android 2.3 Gingerbread withheld by Google to boost Nexus S sales?

Google is forcing third-party Android phone makers to delay pushing out Android 2.3 to their handsets, it has been alleged, in a bid to stimulate sales of its Nexus S handset.

Currently, the Google branded Nexus S is the only handset on the market running the latest 2.3 iteration of the Android OS, AKA Gingerbread. That leaves owners of the massive-selling HTC Desire range and the Samsung Galaxy S stuck on Froyo, or Android 2.2 to you and me.

And if a source cited by fansite Android Community is to be believed, the situation for users of third-party Android blowers isn’t going to change any time soon.

The shadowy figure who is apparently “familiar with the matter” has told the site that the search giant is “forcing manufacturers to hold back the update to Android 2.3 Gingerbread on all handset models until April or even May so that they can sell more Nexus S”.

That was certainly the case last time out when Froyo arrived on the phone six days after Google pushed it out. However, although the Nexus S hit shelves before Christmas, owners of the Nexus One are still waiting for their bump to Gingerbread.

What's more, after the first Google branded phone disappointed sales-wise, it's not beyond credulity that the company might be pulling any tricks possible to ensure the same thing doesn't happen this time around. And if that entails holding it back even for owners of their own branded smartphones, so be it.

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